Microalgae Route to Biodiesel: Prospects, Potential and Process Design

Dr. V. S. Moholkar Department of Chemical Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati

Biodiesel From Algae

In the beginning, there were algae, but there was no oil Then, from algae came oil. Now, the algae are still there, but oil is fast depleting In future, there will be no oil, but there will still be algae So, doesnt it make sense to explore if we can again get oil from algae? This is what we try to do explore the potential of getting oil from algae

Biodiesel Feedstock Tree

Source: African Biofuels 2007

Lipid Content of Algal species

Some algae naturally manufacture hydrocarbons that are suitable as high energy fuels. Botrycoccus braunii, a common species, can contain more than 50% oil, mostly in form of hydrocarbons. Genetically engineering species of Botrycoccus braunii can be made to grow faster.
Strain or Species Scenedesmus sp. Chlamydomonas sp. Clorella sp. Spirogyra sp. Dunaliella sp. Euglena sp. Prymnesium sp. Porphyridium sp. Synechoccus sp. % Lipid (by mass on dry basis) 12 - 40 21 14 - 22 11 - 21 6-8 14 - 20 22 - 38 9 - 14 11

Microalgal Oil
Composition of microalgae (dry basis): protein (1235%); lipid (7.223%); carbohydrate (4.6 23%). Algal-oil is very high in unsaturated fatty acids, like the canola oil. Some UFA's found in different algal-species include: Arachidonic acid(AA) Eicospentaenoic acid(EPA) Docasahexaenoic acid(DHA) Gamma-linolenic acid(GLA) Linoleic acid(LA) Catalytic hydrogenation of oil prior to tranesterification is a possible solution.

Microalgal Biodiesel
Not significantly different than the biodiesel produced from vegetable oil. Microalgal oil contains high levels of polyunsaturates which can pose stability problem due to possibility of oxidation. Due to lower melting point of polyunsaturates (than mono-unsaturates or saturates), algal biodiesel possesses better cold weather properties. Growing algae using exhausts of power plants for CO2 source can help reduce carbon and NOx emissions.

Mass Production of Microalgae

Historical milestones of microalge production

Production of Chlorella species in Japan: 1960. Spirulina harvesting facility in Mexico and Thailand in 1970 and 1977 respectively. 46 large scale factories in Asia by 1980 producing about 1 ton/month of microalgae. Spirulina production by 2000 stands at remarkable figure of about 3000 tpa (USA, China, Thailand being major producers).

Proper choice of large scale culture system:

Basic biology of algae Cost of land, labor, energy, water and nutrients Prevailing climatic conditions

What Effects Algal Growth?

Selected Algal strain Light conditions Temperature Water flow rate Supply of carbon dioxide (use exhaust of power plants) Macronutrients: C, N, P, Mg, Ca, K, Na, Cl Micronutrients (Trace elements): Fe, B, Zn, Mn, Mo, Cu, SO4, Co, Cd, Va, Al, Br, Etc.. Vitamins Marine microalgae: Seawater supplemented with commercial fertilizers Biodiesel is carbon neutral no net accumulation of CO2 in atmosphere.

Mass Production Systems (Raceway Ponds)

Circular Ponds

Deep Tanks

Unstirred pond

Paddlewheel Raceways

PHOTOBIOREACTORS

Bag culture

Stirred Tank Reactor

Bag Culture

Airlift Bioreactor

Tubular Reactor

Features of Raceway Ponds

Closed loop recirculation channel; mixing achieved with paddle wheel. MOC: concrete, compacted earth or lining with white plastic to reduce seepage losses. Typical dimensions: Depth 20-30 cm; Area 100-250 hectare, production 0.1 to 0.5 g dry weight per liter. Limitations:
Significant evaporation losses. Poor thermal or temperature control. Poor utilization of CO2 due to evaporation or stripping. Contamination from unwanted algae and microorganisms. Low biomass concentration due to poor mixing and optically dark zones.

Features of Photobioreactors
Known as closed systems and permit cultivation of single species for longer duration. Basic designs: Flat plate reactors and tubular reactors. Principle is to reduce path length of light. Tubular array with each tube of 3-4 in. dia. Microalgal broth is circulated through a degassing tank with either mechanical pump or airlift pump. Either horizontal or vertical array is possible. Illumination could be natural or artificial. Temperature control of broth by placing a coil in degassing tank or circulation of water through a jacket around tube. Operational difficulties:
Growth of algae in tube walls blocking light. High oxygen concentration that can inhibit photosynthesis. Limit on the length of the tube in single run.

Raceway Ponds vs. Photobioreactors

13-fold high biomass productivity and higher oil yield per hectare in photobioreactors. Recovery of biomass is also an important issue. Recovery cost in photobioreactor is a minor fraction of total processing cost due to high biomass concentration. Total area need for photobioreactor is smaller. Effective utilization of area can be achieved with BIOCOIL. Typical volume of BIOCOIL: 1000 Liter

Comparison of Large Scale Systems

Reactor Type Unstirred shallow ponds Tanks Circular stirred pond Paddle wheel Raceway Stirred tank reactor Airlift reactor Bag culture Flat plate reactor Tubular reactor (serpentine) Tubular reactor (Biocoil) Mixing Light utilization Efficiency Poor Temperature control None Gas transfer Poor Hydrodynamic stress on algae V. low Species control Difficult Sterility Scale up

V.poor

None

V.difficult

Poor Fair Fair-good

V. poor Fair-Good Fair-Good

None None None

Poor Poor Poor

V. Poor Low Low

Difficult Difficult Difficult

None None None

V.difficult V.difficult Very difficult

Largely uniform Generally uniform Variable Uniform Uniform

Fair-Good Good Fair-Good Excellent Excellent

Excellent Excellent Good (indoors) Excellent Excellent

Lowhigh High Lowhigh High Lowhigh Lowhigh

High Low Low Low-high Low-high

Easy Easy Easy Easy Easy

Easily achievable Easily achievable Easily achievable Achievable Achievable

Difficult Difficult Difficult Difficult Reasonable

Uniform

Excellent

Excellent

Low-high

Easy

Achievable

Easy

Algal Production and Economics Model

Water A. Net make up B. Supply system cost A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. Algal Production Yield (gross) Efficiency on Par Facility design Facility cost Flow/mass balance Power requirement Module hydraulics Energy requirement Salinity tolerance Product State Net biomass Lipid quantity Carbohydrate quantity Protein quantity

Harvester A. Capital cost B. Energy cost

A. B. C. D.

Nutrients for N,K,P A. Quantity B. Cost C. System cost

Processing and Storage

Carbon A. Quantity B. Cost C. System cost

Media Recycle

Nutrient Recycle

Economics A. Annual operating cost B. Capital investment C. Lifecycle revenue required D. Product pricing

Parameters Affecting Microalgal Production Economy

Economic Analysis of Microalgae Production

Economic potential can be judged by assessing individual cost centers. General cost distribution for total product cost:
Operating costs: 68% Capital costs (depreciable and non-depreciable): 23% Maintenance costs: 9%

Product Cost Contributions by General Category

Total capital, 23.30% Operating costs, 67.90%

Maintenance costs, 8.80%

Direct Costs
Direct production costs (combined annual maintenance and operating costs) contribute highest: 68%
Nutrient expenses: 33.7% Labor and overheads: 24% Water: 16% Electricity: 7%

Contributions of Direct Operating and Maintenance Expenses

Labor and overhead cost, 23.50% Maintenance costs, 11.50% Other operating costs, 8.20% Utility costs, 7.20% water costs, 15.90%

Nutrient costs, 33.70%

Some uncertainty is involved as some cost components are location specific.

(Depreciable and Nondepreciable)

Fixed costs: 23.3% with depreciable equipment costs: 51% of present value of capital. Culture system (37.7%) includes module construction, internal distribution systems, pond lining, mixing system etc. Other major factors include site preparation and surveying (26.2%), harvester system (13%) and contingency (12%).

Capital Costs

Contributions to Capital Cost Categories

Engineering fees, 7.60% Contingency allowance, 11.70% Land, 3.80% Culture system, 37.70%

Site preparation, 26.20%

Harvest system, 13%

Nondepreciable Capital
These are non-equipment expenditures not subject to depreciation. 49% of total present value of capital investment. Use of novel technology warrants higher contingency allowance. Low contribution of land cost is due to use of marginal land for algae cultivation.

Contribution to Nondepreciable Capital Investment

Contingency allownce, 23.70% Site preparation and survey, 53% Land cost, 7.80%

Engineering fees, 15.50%

Depreciable Investment
Specific life time for each equipment differs but average life is ~ 15 years. Highest contribution by the harvesting system. Lining of pond bottoms, construction of piping system, mixing system are other components contributing to depreciation.

Contributions to Depreciable Capital Investment

Lining, 26.20% Water system, 6% Buildings, 1.70%

Harvesters, 25.70% Culture system, 14%

Carbon dioxide transfer system, 4.20%

Electric services, 9.10%

Mixing system, 13.10%

Summarization
Hills analysis gives an idea of economic potential of microalgal biodiesel:
Production of 33,171 tpa of microalgae incurs total annualized production cost of $13 million. This gives cost of algal biomass as $393 per ton or $0.35 per kg with approx lipid content of 30%. Thus, annual lipid yield is 71072 bbl with production cost of $1.2 per liter. Compare to this, the cheapest vegetable oil costs $465 per ton or $0.52 per liter. Petrodiesel costs approx $0.75/liter (inclusive of taxes at 20%, crude oil cost 52%, refinery expenses 19% and distribution and marketing 9%). Target price for microalgal oil should be $0.5 per liter assuming it is tax free!

Improvement of Microalgal Biodiesel Economics

Biorefinery based strategy to utilize every component of biomass raw material.

Revenue earned out of side products can improve economics of production. Other strategies would be genetic and metabolic engineering. Possible methodologies are:
Increase photosynthetic efficiency. Enhance biomass growth rate. Increase lipid or oil content of biomass. Elimination of light saturation phenomena, photoinhibition effect, susceptibility to bio-oxidation.

Residual biomass can be animal feed. Anaerobic digestion of biomass for methane production which can be used for producing electricity.

Conclusion
Microalgal route to biodiesel is a potential alternative to vegetable oil. Overall economics of the process needs improvement to be competitive substitute to petrodiesel. Roots of improvement in economy lie in both science and technology of microalgae. Enhancement in lipid content through genetic modification is one route. Much simpler and effective way to achieve the same goal would through photobioreactor engineering. Extensive research on diverse aspects of photobioreactor is needed. Biorefinery approach can also improve the economics significantly.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The microalgal biodiesel project at I.I.T. Guwahati has been sponsored by Defense Research Laboratory (DRDO) at Tezpur, Assam.